Offically buying my first tank tonight

So I have been reading about tanks and saltwater things for about 2.5 months and I think its time that I finally make a move to get into the hobby. The tank that I am wanting to get is this one (see link below)

Innovative Marine 30 Gallon Micro Nuvo Aquarium Dimmable Reef Ready Kit

Its from marinedepot. Its a 30 gallon innovative tank with the upgraded lights. I figure in the long run it would be better to go ahead and buy the upgraded lights now then spend $150 now and then realize i screwed up and have to go buy $200 lights the next time. My questions are as followed:

1. What else beyond what is in this package do I need to get started? (I will buy purifed water at LFS I think its $1 per gallon) should I go ahead and buy live sand and live rock now or wait a bit?
2. I have heard that the first day just put in water and add saltwater mix and get things right second day do livesand and liverock... my question is is this really the best order to go in or what would you reccomend?
3. How big of a heater should I get for this tank?
4. Am I missing something here is there something that is about to punch me in the face that im not thinking of or you think I may not have considered? I am trying to minimize the chance I get screwed over at my LFS

 

Congrats on the big step.

I would look into getting an RODI filter as it will save you in the long run o cost and in the short run on your LFS water possibly not being that high oif quality. LFS are not known for maintaining the filters on their water units in a timely fashion.

You can add the sand and rock after the salt and water are fully mixed. I would use dry sand as live sand isn't all that live and you are paying for water as well as sand. I would also get mostly dry rock and about 5 to 10 lbs of live rock.

A 150 watt heater would be a good start depending on how much cooler you keep you house than the tank. This recommendation is good for about 9 degrees difference. If it is greater then you will need a stronger heater.

Also I would look into a skimmer instead of the filter material if you plan on going reef. Get current testing kits for Ammmonia, Nitrite and Nitrate to start. You can add Calcium, Magnesium and Alkalinity when you are ready to add coral. A pH kit would be good to get at the start.

 

I would get a heater for sure even if you plan on doing a cold water setup. I use a fluval E-series that I really like (easy read digital display and easy to adjust/set) plus Marine Depot has them. Dont put any of the filtration media in it yet and add the H2O and salt. Let it run for 2-3 hours to mix the salt up then you can add the sand. Larger grain sand will not be as likely to blow around if you really have higher flow. (for sps corals) I would not buy "live sand" it will become live in a short amount of time. Wait until the sand settles down 24 hrs. or so then add the dry rock and aqua scape it to your liking. I would wait until after your cycle peaks and Ammo. is on its way down to add the live rock to seed the dry. I have used "Dr. Tim's one and only" and I would suggest it but I have heard good things about bio-spira by Instant Ocean and most lfs carry it these days. Get a good test kit and keep an eye on Ammonia NO2 and NO3 and when the first two reach ZERO you are good to go. Good luck and enjoy the new addiction.

 

so how much is a testing kit run and how many times can I test it?

 

You can learn a lot by reading on the forum, but here are some answers to your questions:

First, we need to know what your intentions are with the tank. I am a big advocate of buying something that will suit your needs 6, 9, 12 months from now so you don't have to continually upgrade at each 'step'. Most people learn the hard way and end up replacing everything they bought out of the gate. WITH THAT SAID....

If you want to keep SPS or LPS coral (the pretty coral...) I don't think the Nuvo is a good route for the following reasons:

1) Very small sump. I have owned tanks with the sum-in-the-back design (red sea max 250) and, while they are convenient, they are really not ideal. They limit your filtration options. You are stuck with a very small selection of relatively weak protein skimmers, it is very difficult to add reactors (the carbon bags you drop in them don't work very well, fluidized reactors are 100x more efficient), and they are tough to clean.

2) Not a great light. You are much better off getting a Reef Breeders LED for 179 and having the power and spectrum of an Ecotech Radion.

3) 30 gallons is not a lot of water (especially without the extra water volume of a sump). This, combined with limited filtration options, will make it tough for a first-timer to keep things stable. If you want to keep coral it will mean a lot of water changes. And also keep in mind, with a 30 gallon tank, you will be restricted to a couple clownfish, a wrasse, a goby, and maybe one other small fish/some inverts. If you want to keep coral, you should probably keep even fewer/smaller fish to minimize bio load.

4) There are still a lot of things you need to add to this tank. For instance, you need another powerhead for flow if you want to keep coral - ideally a vortech MP10. And it doesnt look like it comes with a protein skimmer? That is a must have.

So, my suggestion would be to build a tank from the ground up with the right stuff - setting yourself up for a couple years of success and growth into the hobby. The tank i'm building right now is a good example of an ideal starter reef tank (although i've been doing this for a while). It's a 45 gallon cube with a stand that I made for about $75. If you go this route, you will spend more up front, but end up with a MUCH better setup that can keep any coral and allow your inhabitants to thrive:

Tank - $175 (marineland 24x24x18 45 gallon cube)
Stand - $75 (home depot and elbow grease)
Dry Rock - $100 (don't buy live rock, much more expensive and you can get nasty critters on it that will be a nightmare to get rid of. you can cycle 'base' rock with a product called dr. tims one and only and you end up with the same quality filtration in about 2 weeks)
Sand - $30
Powerhead - $200 (Vortech MP10, or you could save some money and start with a Tunze 6045 for about $100)
Light - Reefbreeders Value LED $179
Sump - $15-20 (buy a used 20 gallon tank and put some baffles in it)
Sump return pump - $50
Plumbing and misc - $50
Protein Skimmer - $180 (Octopus NWB 110 is a good one i hear)

I'm sure im forgetting SOMETHING, but that right there gives you a great setup that will keep SPS corals. Now keep in mind that you can stage these purchases. For instance, you don't need the skimmer out of the gate. You can cycle, buy a few fish, and ultimately wait a few months (it will take that long) before you need a skimmer and start adding corals. Same goes for the light.

I know this is a daunting list, but I can absolutely guarantee you that you will end up buying all of this stuff eventually when you realize the all-in-one tank is limiting you.

Best of luck, don't hesitate to ask more questions

 

Good testing kits (salifert, elos are reputable) run $20-30 per kit. You need ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph to start. After your cycle, you won't need to test ammonia or nitrite again unless/until you have a crash or an issue in the tank. Nitrate is the test kit that you will run out of and replace a few times per year. And calcium, alkalinity, and maybe a couple others if you keep coral.

 

I understand what you are saying and I realize that I am Truly limited with this set up. But this set up makes sense to me for the next 2-3 years. I am in a college dorm and yes I know this takes money I have the money for it I really dont have much more room for a 45 gallon tank thats why I went with 30. I would love to have the 45 gallon once im out and with my own house but for college thats just not thesiable at this time. As far as the light goes whats the benefits of it. I am not looking to have just an incredible take I would like a nice one that has a couple clown fish maybe a madrin and some anemeas **sp

what are your thoughts based on that?

 

and as far as the lights go whats the advantages of the one you suggested over the one with the kit

 

As far as size, a 45 gallon is only 4 inches wider than this. The sump-in-back design take up a lot of room, whereas with a sump its hidden directly under the tank.

Being a college student, are you at school year round? Tanks can't be left unattended for periods of more than few days - just thinking of things like winter/summer vacations.

Assuming you are there year round and the size thing is a major issue, I would then go with a marineland 27 gallon cube and do the same sump-under-tank setup. Despite the smaller size, you can still fit a good sized skimmer and add quite a bit of water volume to the setup. Most of my suggestions from the previous post would apply here as well - equipment is the same.

Anemones need strong light. The skyye light is not strong - just 20 watts. Good LED's typically run at 3 or 5 watts (Cree, Bridgelux, etc). These run at one watt. To answer your question, the light i suggested is much brighter, stronger, and will look better.

You can certainly go with the nuvo tank but for about the same investment you could have something much, much better.

 

To answer this question, here is a video of the tank and light that you want to buy: Nuvo 30 gallon w/ Spin Stream Rotation Nozzle and SKKYE LIGHT Dimmable Dual Strip LED - YouTube (hard to even tell the light is on, and those corals don't look too hot)

And here is a video of a reefbreeders LED: Reef Breeders fixture. - YouTube